The Workers Song

This song was written by Ed Pickford and first recorded by Scottish folk singer Dick Gaughan on his landmark 1981 album Handful of Earth. The Longest Johns' version was released as the fourth track on Smoke + Oakum, featuring guest artist Seth Lakeman.

This song was the subject of the band's third Community Video Project, announced 3 Aug 2022. The finished video, featuring 833 participants, was released on YouTube 11 January 2023.

Factoids[]

The final chorus of the album version features guest vocals from the Darley parents and Sam (community moderator & brother to JD) as well as the Severn Whalers.

"The Workers Song" was one of the two songs led by iRobert — a video of Robbie's face on an iPad, perched atop a hanging rack of his clothing — when Robbie was unable to join the band for the US portion of their autumn 2022 tour due to visa issues. (The other was Beer is Great.)

Lyrics[]

Lyrics as provided in the Smoke + Oakum album sleeve.

Oh come on all you workers, who toil night and day
By hand and by brain, to earn your pay
Who for centuries all past, for no more than your bread
Have bled for your countries and counted your dead

{Chorus}
We're the the first ones to starve
We're the first ones to die
the first ones in line for that "pie in the sky"
And we're always the last, when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat's about

In the factories and mills, the shipyards and mines
We've often been told to keep up with the times
For our skills are not needed, they've streamlined the job
With slide-rule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed

{Chorus}

And when the sky darkens, and the prospect is war
Who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore?
And expected to die for the land of our birth
Though we've never owned one lousy handful of earth

{Chorus}

And all of these things the worker has done
From tilling the field to carrying the gun
We've been yoked to the plough since time first began
And always expected to carry the can

{Chorus 2x}

The Workers Song

Contents

Factoids[]

Lyrics[]

Recordings[]

Streaming/Purchase[]

YouTube Videos[]

Gig Videos[]

Full Band Streams[]